In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," the Tea Party favorite stressed his willingness to work with anyone to reduce the United States' fiscal strains. In the process, Cruz quipped about a party from another planet.

"I am perfectly happy to compromise and work with anybody," Cruz said. "Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians. I’ll work with Martians. If -- and the if is critical -- they're willing to cut spending and reduce the debt."

Cruz is vying for retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's seat. On July 31, he captured the GOP nomination in convincing fashion, defeating Republican favorite and Lt. Gov David Dewhurst in a runoff election. In the general election, Cruz will face off against former Texas State Rep. Paul Sadler (D), the winner of the Democratic Party runoff.

"We are witnessing a great awakening," Cruz told supporters shortly after Dewhurst's concession last Tuesday. "Millions of Texans, millions of Americans are rising up to reclaim our country, to defend liberty and to restore the Constitution."

Cruz has received a wave of support from notable Tea Party names, including former Alaska Gov. and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). In his Fox News sunday appearance, Cruz vowed that the movement will continue to gain momentum until government spending comes under control.

“The principles voters are looking for are not that complicated," he said. "Live within your means. Don’t spend money you don’t have.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Sen. Jim DeMint is a Republican from Kentucky. He is in fact from South Carolina.

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Out-Of-Touch Politicians

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While running for president in 2007, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told a reporter at a Montgomery, Ala., supermarket that he estimates "a gallon of milk is probably about a $1.50, a loaf of bread about a $1.25, $1.30, last time I bought one." It must have been a few election cycles since his last trip: The grocery store's website listed milk for $3.38 and bread up to $3.49.

During George H.W. Bush's reelection campaign in 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle scoffed at the "Murphy Brown situation," referring to a television character who had a child out of wedlock. Quayle called the Brown story "totally unreal," adding, "A highly paid professional woman [with a baby] ... give me a break."

In a display of aloofness that many political observers say led to her defeat by Republican Scott Brown, Democratic Senate candidate and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley erred in brushing off the idea of ramping up her campaigning. When asked whether she was being too apathetic, she referenced one of Brown's ads and fired back, "As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?"

While visiting the Alamo in 1976, President Gerald Ford bit into a tamale through the husk, a faux pas later deemed the "Great Tamales Incident."

President George H.W. Bush caught flak for appearing awed by a supermarket check-out scanner while touring a grocers convention in 1992. It turned out the president was being shown a new bar code technology, and the convention worker who was alongside Bush later said it's "foolish to think the president doesn't know anything about grocery stores. He knew exactly what I was talking about."

In 2008, President George W. Bush said he had not heard predictions that gas prices could soon hit $4 a gallon. At the time, the national average was $3.29 a gallon.

In 2003, Democratic presidential contender John Kerry ordered Swiss cheese on a cheese steak while campaigning in South Philadelphia, straying from the traditional favorite topping, Cheez Whiz.

Democratic presidential contender Michael Dukakis tried to one-up Republican opponent George H.W. Bush on national defense by striking a pose in an M1 Abrams tank.

Mitt Romney has had his fair share of seemingly out-of-touch statements this election cycle, admitting he likes to "fire people" and expressing amazement at the touchscreen ordering system at convenience store Wawa.

President Barack Obama is not exempt from the "gotcha" moment. In June, he described the private sector economy as "doing fine." The gaffe immediately elicited comparisons with his 2008 Republican opponent, John McCain, who said that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong" in the midst of a crippling financial crisis.